Oakland Gardens

This playground takes its name from the northeastern Queens neighborhood in which it stands. The neighborhood of Oakland Gardens is bounded to the north by 48th Avenue, to the east by Alley Pond Park, to the south by Union Turnpike, and to the west by Cunningham Park. John Hicks, who was given one of the first grants of Dutch land in Flushing, settled in the area in 1645. In the early 19th century, the land was passed to the Lawrence family, and in 1847, Fredrick Newbold Lawrence built The Oaks mansion. The Oakland name probably dates back to that estate.